" In light of Ignatius' 'Two Standards' and 'The Mystries Done From The Garden To The House Of Annas', at any moment we can be Judas or Peter, a Christian life can be a fine line."

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Director Of Homeland Security Is A Santa Clara University Graduate

Eight alumni of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities currently serve in appointed positions to U.S. President Barack Obama's administration and fifty four alumni are current members of the 111th U.S. Congress. Members of the Obama administration from AJCU institutions include Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon E. Panetta (Santa Clara University, 1960, BA) and Department of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

Other departments with Jesuit alumni are the Department of Homeland Security with Secretary Janet A. Napolitano (Santa Clara University, 1979, BA) and the Department of Labor with Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Jane Oates (Boston College, 1975, BA).

111th U.S. Congress

Ten percent of the 111th U.S. Congress are Jesuit college and university alumni/ae. Among the 535 Members of the 111th U.S. Congress, 54 of them are alumni/ae of Jesuit institutions.

There are thirteen Jesuit alumni/ae in the Senate and forty one in the House of Representatives. Among the top leadership, both the Majority and Minority Leaders in the House of Representatives, Congressmen Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and John Boehner (R-OH) respectively, the Senate Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), and the Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Special Assistant to the Speaker, Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), are all Jesuit alumni.

Of these 54 alumni/ae, 35 received graduate or professional degrees from Jesuit universities. There are 16 Jesuit institutions represented by alumni/ae in the U.S. Congress. Georgetown University has the most alumni/ae with a total of eighteen, followed by Boston College with eight, and the College of the Holy Cross and Fordham University with four each.

Of note, Anh "Joseph" Cao, a graduate of Fordham University and Loyola University New Orleans, is the first Vietnamese-American member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

"With the many challenges facing our nation, we are happy that our Jesuit college and university alumni/ae are leading the Congressional response to them," said AJCU President Fr. Charles Currie, S.J."Our graduates, who have dedicated their lives to the highest levels of public service, have been educated at institutions that place great value on academic excellence, competent leadership and compassionate service. We are proud of our Jesuit alumni/ae who continue to represent us with distinction and inspire us with their commitment to lead and serve."

About Me

I am not a Jesuit, nor am I a cleric. I spent about 5 years under the spiritual direction of a Jesuit, 3 of those years in a weekly directed retreat in everyday life. The profound impact that the Society and the Excercises had upon my life, resulted in me, trying to deal with that impact in some way by sharing my view of Jesus Christ with others. My intention is to pull together Jesuitical and Catholic subjects that interest me. I was born on the feast day of St. Paul Miki, S.J.. I am the father of three small children and an infant, I am married to a great wife.